


Forbidden Language

by Kaito_Dragneel



Series: Soft Wars Fanfiction [6]
Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Introspection, M/M, Mando'a Language (Star Wars), and short, ink is babey, soft angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:42:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29361963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaito_Dragneel/pseuds/Kaito_Dragneel
Summary: Ink doesn’t know Mando’a, some people don’t know that.
Relationships: Faie & CC-8826 | Neyo, Faie/Ink/Hit (implied)
Series: Soft Wars Fanfiction [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1725040
Comments: 2
Kudos: 80





	Forbidden Language

Ink always felt out of place with his fellow commanders and captains. It wasn’t his smaller stature or how he was trained that made him an outsider though. No. Cody had managed to unite Bacara and the two Priest boys easily along with the others. That wasn’t to say that those three didn’t feel like outsiders at times, but Ink… Ink was missing two key components that all of his…  _ vode _ had. Batchmates and...

“Copaani mirshmure'cye, vod?”

“Nayc, di’kut.”

Ink wasn’t really focused on the conversation at hand anymore, mostly only focusing on body language and tone. Neyo and Faie loved to make digs at each other, this was no different. It was just in a different language. A key component. One that Ink didn’t have. Mando’a. Something they all learned or were taught. Something that Ink didn’t understand, because Jango hadn’t felt the need to teach it to him and because he didn’t have any vode who chose to teach it to him.

“No fights please, some of us are trying to nap,” Fox grunted beside Ink, head on the soft pillow against the base of the tree they were under.

Ink carded a hand through Fox’s hair to soothe the commander, humming softly. Fox snuggled further against him while he stared out across the field.

“Gar mir’sheb,” Neyo hissed, sharp tongued, eyes gleaming as he looked over at the two.

Ink twitched, that shoulder like an insult almost?

“Nar’sheb,” Fox snipped back was easily as breathing and Ink’s shoulders hunched in.

Yeah, probably an insult.

The easy conversation had gone and vanished. Of course. It always did eventually, not that Ink minded. It wasn’t his brothers’ fault that he didn’t know their language. Ink kept silent as he stared out across the field, watching the younger  _ vode _ play some sort of game involving kicking a ball into a goal. He could see one of his ARCs enjoying it a bit too much. Copycat could be vicious at times, and considering he was transferred to the Strafbattalion Ink was not surprised that he was vicious.

When he had pledged to Cody for the  _ first time _ it had been purely to get him off of Wisp’s back, he hadn’t believed that Cody could pull something like this off. He could not believe that Cody could…  _ save them _ so easily. Cody had denied his pledge then, had apparently seen that doubt all over his face. That annoyed him more than anything, to be easily read like a book. To be picked apart so easily. He guessed it was because he was so used to wearing his bucket all the time.

“Oi, Rir’ika, me'vaar ti gar? Gar shev’la.”

He never tried to be an open book, never tried to be closed off either. Those who were looking would see what they wanted to see and those who weren’t wouldn’t see a thing, simple as that. Whatever Cody had seen that day must have been enough for him to keep coming back, to keep  _ bugging _ Ink about it. He still remembered stumbling over the mando’a words of the official pledge after he had promised Cody to do so. The burning humiliation as Cody translated it for him and went achingly slow for him. He  _ hated _ the humiliation more than anything. And  _ hate _ was a strong term for a force sensitive clone like him.

“Rir’ika.”

Cody had done a lot for Wisp Battalion as a whole, and Ink couldn’t even begin to repay that debt. It was… he could never have imagined this life for his troops, for  _ himself _ after the war. Not with Krell around. Not with the living nightmare he and his troops went through everyday of the war. Cody had… well, he’d done as he’d promised. He had saved them from Krell and took them  _ home. _ Batches had met up with batches. Brothers and sisters restored together. Lovers rejoined or joined. Cody had kept his promise. Even if Ink was out of place with his inability to—

“ _ Ink _ .”

“Hmm,” Ink shot his head to the others, blinking as he realized he was being stared at.

“Me'vaar ti gar,” Faie asked him, tilting his head like a curious pup.

Dread filled his stomach. How long had they been talking to him? How much of this conversation was including him without him realizing it? How much of it was lost to him due to his lack of knowledge? The line of heat against his body shifted as Fox tensed beside him. He couldn’t fault them for not knowing. Faie probably already suspected anyways, considering they were  _ living together _ due to the 212th pilot they had both fallen in love with. And considering the fact that Faie had yet to  _ tease _ or  _ nitpick _ about it, he wasn’t entirely sure he was right.

Fox shifted to sit up and Ink shifted a hand to press between Fox’s shoulder blades upon instinct. Fox fell back against his pillow with an “oof” making a smile twitch on Ink’s face. There was another muffled curse as Fox melted into the pillow with a huff.

“I’m fine, if that’s what you were asking. Just tired,” Ink answered finally, turning his gaze back to the vode in the field, ignoring the look he knew he was getting from Faie and Neyo.

“You’re always tired,” Neyo scoffed lightly, the conversation going back to basic, the concern dismissed just as quickly.

“It’s cause I deal with you idiots all the time,” Ink hummed, not even bothering to look to see who made the noise of outrage.

Neyo probably. He was more dramatic compared to Faie. Faie would have hit him too. The line of heat beside him shook as Fox snickered.

“No mercy, Ink’ika,” Fox cackled beside him.

“Mercy is for the ones I respect. Neyo lost my respect when he wore those hideous shoes the other day,” Ink grinned down at Fox, smirk wide and sharp like a nexu.

“Hey! I liked those shoes!”

“No, you wore them purely to piss off Fox. I remember that conversation,” Faie snorted, throwing Neyo under the hover bike essentially.

“I’m so glad I like you,” Fox grinned, nudging Ink a little as he settled back in to continue his nap.

Ink sighed softly, relaxing under the tree once more. He still didn’t understand his brothers half the time, and he still felt like an outsider, but they always managed to pull him back in. He was a bird, pulling away from the flying pattern, alone, only to be pulled back into the formation with ease and comfort. 

It felt good to be home.


End file.
